And what if gold has a different significance entirely. An entirely non-monetary significance. What if it was only given monetary significance, and hoarded and sequestered in vaults, doled out only to the elites in sufficient quantity that it might be eaten/imbibed/absorbed. Like an essential mineral for health. For mind. For spirit. For flesh of the gods. After all, it used to litter all the river beds and imbue the water with its ions. But these rivers have been stripped clean. And our water has been replaced with fluoridated, chlorinated poisons. I don't think gold is money. It's magic.